Introduction to "The Dining Table" by Gbanabom Hallowell - SS2 Literature Lesson Note

Introduction to "The Dining Table" by Gbanabom Hallowell

Background and setting of the poet/poem

Elvis Gbanabom Hallowell (1947-2009) was a Sierra Leonean poet, playwright, and novelist. He was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and studied at the University of Sierra Leone and the University of Leeds. He taught at the University of Sierra Leone and Fourah Bay College, and worked as a journalist for the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service.

Hallowell was a prolific writer, and his work often addressed the social and political issues of his time. His poem "The Dining Table" was written in response to the Sierra Leone Civil War, which lasted from 1991 to 2002. The poem is set in Sierra Leone, and the dining table represents the country itself.